Stocktaking: preparation, counting, review, posting and loss investigation

Stocktaking in Cenaly separates entering physical quantities from changing recorded stock. A staff member counts, a manager reviews discrepancies, and someone with posting permission approves the result. Count regularly — for example, perishable items weekly and the entire warehouse monthly. A recurring count can be scheduled: on the chosen day the system creates a draft count or a handheld task by itself.

Counting, posting and “Losses” analytics are also available on cenaly.ru.

What you need to get started#

For collaborative counting, prepare phones and staff access using Phone as a warehouse scanner. Receipts, write-offs and transfers are covered in Stock documents.

Prepare the warehouse and choose the scope#

Task: obtain comparable figures without overlooking part of your stock.

1. Choose a time outside sales hours, after receiving deliveries and recording completed transfers.
2. Agree which shelves and refrigerators belong to the selected warehouse. If possible, postpone new movements until counting is finished.
3. Open “Inventory”, select the warehouse and choose “+ Operations” → “Stocktake”.
4. Set the scope under “What to count” using the table below.
5. Check “Items in scope” and click “Start count” immediately before counting.

Item type, categories and supplier narrow the list together. The supplier filter does not mean “everything this company has ever delivered”.

Result: a count is created with the selected lines and a snapshot of expected stock. If the list is empty, remove unnecessary filters and check the categories and preferred suppliers in item cards.

If warehouse bins are enabled, check item assignments to storage locations beforehand. The count list and the sheet follow the walk order — see “Walk order and storage places”.

If the warehouse already has an open count with the same items, a new one will not start: the wizard offers to continue the open one. This keeps two counts of the same shelves from mixing up. Counts of different groups of one warehouse can run in parallel.

Count templates#

Task: stop choosing the scope every time — “Weekly: bar” in two clicks.

1. In the count wizard choose the item type, categories and supplier as usual.
2. Click “💾 Save as template” and enter a name, e.g. “Weekly: bar”.
3. Next time click the template chip under “Templates” — the scope is filled in — and “Start count”.

A template belongs to a warehouse: the bar and the kitchen have their own. The same name on the same warehouse updates the template instead of creating a second one. Templates and schedules can be saved by whoever may post a count and edit the Inventory section; others can only pick an existing template. An account holds up to 50 templates and 50 schedules. To list or delete templates use “⚙ Templates and schedule” → “Templates”. Deleting a template also deletes its schedule.

Result: the count scope is one click away, and the count remembers which template it was started from.

Scheduled stocktakes#

Task: make a recurring count start by itself — for example, “bar — every Monday at 08:00”.

1. Save a scope template (see above).
2. Open “⚙ Templates and schedule” → “Schedule” and click “+ Add schedule”.
3. Choose the template and the repeat: “Weekly” with days of the week or “Monthly” with days of the month (e.g. 1, 15).
4. Set the hour — it uses the time of the location the warehouse belongs to.
5. Choose how you count: “Draft count in the admin” (count in the web panel or on the printed sheet) or “Task for the handheld scanner” — and who gets it.
6. Click “Save”. Each schedule shows its “Next” run.

“31” in a shorter month means its last day. One count (or one task) is created per day — repeated checks on the same day do not create duplicates. If the warehouse still has an open count of the same items, no draft is created until it is posted or discarded.

Result: on the right day the count is already waiting; expected stock is fixed when the draft is created, so start counting soon after it.

Walk order and storage places#

Task: make the count list and the sheet follow the order you walk the shelves.

• Warehouse without bins. Fill in “Storage place” in the item card (“Bar · shelf 2”, “Fridge 1”). Order the places in “⚙ Templates and schedule” → “Count order”: drag them or use ↑/↓, then save.
• Warehouse with bins. Open “Warehouse bin locations” → “↕ Walk order”, drag the bins (or use ↑/↓) and click “Save order”. With a zone selected, only its bins move. The handheld scanner uses the same order for counting and picking.

In the count, lines follow the walk stops under “📍 bin / place” headers: bins by route first, then storage places in your order, items without a place last. The printed sheet is grouped the same way. If no item has a bin or a place, nothing changes: item groups in alphabetical order.

Count physical stock in the web panel#

Task: record what is physically present, using each item's unit of measure.

1. After “Start count”, find items by name, barcode or PLU.
2. Enter the physical quantity. Explicitly enter 0 for an item that is absent.
3. Check “Expected” and “Variance”. The monetary “Value” column is on the next screen, “Variance report”.
4. Before a break, click “Save and close” and check that no save error appears.
5. To resume, reopen stocktaking and select the count under “Unfinished counts”.

Example without movements: expected stock is 10 litres of milk at ₽80 per litre; you count 8 litres. The report shows −2 litres and −₽160. Posting sets recorded stock to 8 litres.

If sales continue during counting: the starting snapshot is 10 litres; 2 litres sell before you enter the count, leaving 8 litres. The report still shows −2 litres against the starting snapshot — this alone is not evidence of loss.

Movements after entering the count are handled separately. For example, expected stock was 10 litres, you counted 9, and then sold another 2: recorded stock became 8 litres. Posting shows “Stock moved after the count”. After “Post the difference”, the system applies the 1-litre shortage: stock becomes 7 litres, not the earlier count of 9.

Result: the physical count is saved, but entering it has not yet changed stock. If movements cannot be checked because of a connection problem, restore the connection and choose “Check again”. Do not treat variance against an old snapshot as unexplained loss without reviewing movements.

Blind counting in the web panel#

Task: make sure staff record what is on the shelf rather than adjusting the number to the books.

Blind counting is on by default and uses the same setting as the phone, “Blind stocktake”. Expected quantities and discrepancies are visible to whoever may post the count: the owner, a manager with Inventory, or a role with the “Stocktake posting” capability. Everyone else sees only what they enter:

1. The count window has no “Expected” and “Variance” columns and no “with expected quantity” box next to the sheet.
2. Staff enter the count. Their name and the time appear next to the line.
3. “Send for review” replaces “Variance report” at the bottom of the window. The count moves to “Under review”.
4. A manager opens it under “Unfinished counts”, checks the discrepancies and posts it.

A counter with no access to Inventory#

For someone who should only count, give the role the “Stock count (blind)” capability in the role builder and do not give it the “Inventory” section. That employee works on the “Stock counts” screen: they see the open counts of their locations, search by name or barcode, enter quantities and send the count for review. They receive no stock levels, expected quantities or prices, either on screen or in a server response.

To let counters see expected quantities, turn off “Blind stocktake” for the warehouse, location or account: web and phone share one setting. Only the owner or a manager can change it.

Count log#

Expand “Count log” at the bottom of the count window and on the review screen. It shows who started the count, who entered lines and when (with the old and new value), and who sent it for review, posted, discarded or reversed it. The server sets the author and time, so they cannot be forged from a browser. Consecutive saves by one person within 15 minutes are one entry.

Several people can count one sheet on the web at the same time: the server accepts only the changed lines, so nobody's count is overwritten, and other people's counts appear in fields you have not touched.

Print a count sheet#

Task: a warehouse employee counts on paper at the shelf, then a manager enters the quantities in the web count.

1. Start a count or open an unfinished count for the correct warehouse.
2. On the counting step, leave “with expected quantity” unchecked and click “🖨 Count sheet”.
3. In the browser print dialog, choose a printer or “Save as PDF”.
4. Write quantities and notes on paper and complete “Counted by” and “Checked by”.
5. Enter the checked quantities in the same count, then review and post it.

The heading shows the warehouse, count number, start date and the note, if supplied. Items are grouped and sorted alphabetically by group and item name, with continuous row numbering. The sheet includes a row number, product name, unit, actual quantity and note; the checkbox adds “Expected”.

The sheet is blind by default so staff count what they see without adjusting their answers to the recorded quantity. Enable “with expected quantity” for a manager's review. This checkbox controls the printed sheet, not the phone settings. Expected quantities remain visible on the web counting screen.

Result: the paper sheet matches the selected count. You can print partway through: entered quantities appear on paper, uncounted cells stay empty, and an explicitly entered 0 prints as zero. Printing does not post the count.

Share the count between staff#

Task: count different parts of the warehouse simultaneously and independently verify disputed items.

1. Arrange a shared session on phones and divide the warehouse into zones, such as the refrigerator and dry storage.
2. Enable “Blind stocktake” for independent counting: staff enter quantities without seeing expected stock.
3. Under “Several counts of one item”, choose “Add up zones” for separate portions of stock or “Last recount wins” to recount the same quantity.
4. After syncing, review zone results. Assign a discrepancy recount to another employee as a separate task.
5. Proceed to review and posting only after the results arrive.

Result: the manager receives a consolidated count rather than competing figures. If the total doubled, check whether two people counted the same shelf with zone totals added together. Do not edit one web count simultaneously in several browsers: use the mobile workflow for collaboration.

Find “Blind stocktake” and “Several counts of one item” in the warehouse phone-session office, “Handheld settings” → “Receiving & counts”. The owner or a manager sets them for all warehouses in the account, a location or a single warehouse; the warehouse overrides the location, which overrides the account. Blind counting and “Add up zones” are enabled by default. A network can use a shared rule with exceptions for specific warehouses.

Connection, zones, blind counting and tasks are covered in Phone as a warehouse scanner.

Review the count before posting#

Task: distinguish entry errors from real discrepancies and hand the result to the responsible person.

1. Click “Variance report”. Compare “Surplus”, “Shortage” and “Result”.
2. Review uncounted lines. If an item was checked and is absent, choose “Back to counting” and enter zero.
3. Recount large discrepancies and check units, receipts and transfers.
4. If “Accountant review” is shown, choose a reason for each discrepancy line.
5. Pass the count to someone who can approve and post it.

Review does not change stock. A session awaiting review has not been posted either. In the web wizard, “Variance report” opens the review screen; it does not confirm that a task was sent to an accountant. Use “Unfinished counts” to resume a saved session.

“Accountant review” appears for a location linked to an organisation and a set of books whose accounting package requires it. Reasons are selected by the owner or a staff member with editing access to bookkeeping. Other staff can view reasons. A discrepancy line without a reason cannot be approved. “Approve and post” also requires stocktake posting permission.

Result: discrepancies are checked and mandatory reasons are filled in. If the button is unavailable, check permissions and lines without a reason. If a cost warning appears, investigate the missing cost first: the monetary total may be understated.

Post or discard a count#

Task: apply the verified quantities or abandon an unfinished count.

1. Click “Post stocktake”, or “Approve and post” when accountant review is required.
2. Confirm a partial count or posting the difference after movements if prompted.
3. Wait for completion and check the selected warehouse's stock. Discrepancies are recorded in an adjustment document.
4. To stop without applying the count, choose “Discard count” on the review screen and confirm.

Result: posting changes counted lines with discrepancies; blank lines remain untouched. If all counted lines match, the count confirms stock without an adjustment. Discarding an unfinished count leaves stock unchanged; “Save and close” lets you resume it later.

The owner, a manager or a role with stocktake posting permission can post. Access to the “Inventory” section alone is insufficient.

If posting was interrupted, reopen the saved count and check its result before trying again. Do not create another count merely because you missed the success message.

Reverse a posted count#

Task: undo a count posted by mistake — the wrong warehouse was counted, units were mixed up.

1. Open “Inventory” → “Documents” and find the adjustment document of that count.
2. Click “↩ Reverse”, enter the reason and confirm.
3. Wait for stock to update: the document is marked “Corrected”, with the reversal document next to it.

The reversal returns each line to the stock expected when the count was posted; sales and receipts after posting stay. The count is marked reversed and drops out of the “Losses” analysis.

Whoever may post may reverse: the owner, a manager or a role with the “Stocktake posting” capability — provided they can edit the Inventory section. You cannot reverse a count if a later posted count included any of its items — reverse the later one first. A count without discrepancies did not change stock, so there is nothing to reverse.

Result: stock is back to what it was before the faulty count; history keeps both the posting and its reversal.

Investigate losses between counts#

Task: identify which usage is explained by operations and which needs investigation.

A cycle runs between two consecutive posted counts for one warehouse; only items counted in both are compared.

1. Post two counts for the same warehouse with overlapping counted items.
2. Open “Losses” and choose the “Cycle” between the counts.
3. Compare “Sales”, “Explained” and “Unexplained loss”.
4. Start with “Top losses”; view surpluses separately with “Show surplus”.
5. For each major item, check documents and warehouse practices using the table below.

“Sales” is calculated usage from sales; “Explained” is usage recorded through other relevant movements. The unexplained difference remains after comparing actual usage with these operations. It is a reason to investigate, not automatic proof of spoilage or theft. A surplus in one item does not offset a shortage in another in the loss indicator. Use “Loss per day” when comparing weekly and monthly cycles.

For recurring discrepancies, use the “Excess consumption” rule in loss control. It triggers when calculated usage is positive and the variance reaches the configured percentage; the default threshold is 5%. The rule compares unexplained variance with calculated sales usage; setup is covered in Loss control.

Result: each significant difference has a testable explanation and a next action. If there is no cycle, check for a second posted count and items counted in both. A manual adjustment warning means that some unexplained variance may have come from an operator's stock correction.

Stocktaking across multiple locations#

Task: compare locations without mixing their physical stock.

1. Create a separate count for each warehouse, even if the account shares items and suppliers.
2. Assign staff to their locations and check access to the required warehouse before counting.
3. Use “Network stock” to compare quantities across warehouses, then investigate discrepancies in the specific warehouse.
4. Assign someone with posting permission; access to several locations does not grant it automatically.

Result: each warehouse has its own confirmed stock. If an employee cannot see a warehouse, check access to the location it belongs to. Shared item and supplier directories do not mean the entire network has one stock balance.

Limitations#

• The push for a scheduled task goes only to employees allowed to edit stock with access to the warehouse location; the owner gets it only when the task is assigned to them personally. A web draft sends no push — it shows in “Needs attention”.
• A scheduled draft fixes expected stock at creation: sales before counting starts show up as variance.
• A count cannot be reversed after a later count of the same items; the posting document cannot be deleted — only reversed.
• One storage place per item (a label); warehouses with bins take the order from the bins holding the item.
• The “one open count” rule applies when a web count starts, to schedules and when a stocktake is opened on a handheld. Neither a web count nor a scheduled draft starts while a handheld stocktake of the same items is open or submitted for review: the schedule retries every hour of the same day and creates the draft once the handheld session is posted or cancelled.
• Blind counting hides the expected quantity on the sheet, not warehouse stock: the “Inventory” section shows it. Only a role with “Stock count” and without “Inventory” is fully blind. Phone sessions are for “Inventory” holders only: the “Stock count” capability does not open them.
• “Blind stocktake” is on by default and inherits settings from account to location to warehouse.
• The bin walk order is stored in the warehouse layout: web, handheld and picking follow one route.
• Counting does not block sales or other movements. Expected quantities remain the starting snapshot.
• The count log keeps the latest 300 entries; older ones are hidden and their number is shown.
• Analytics requires two posted counts for one warehouse with items counted in both.

Troubleshooting#

Frequently asked questions#

Must I count the whole warehouse every time? No. Choose a category, item type or supplier; leave uncounted lines blank.

Can I leave and continue tomorrow? You can save an unfinished count. However, intervening movements complicate review, so avoid a long break where possible.

Why can an employee count but not post? Entering quantities and posting require different permissions. Accountant review also requires approval rights and discrepancy reasons.

Should I write off a shortage again after posting? No: posting already adjusts stock. Do not duplicate the same difference with another write-off.

Why print a sheet without expected quantities?#

It helps staff count physical stock without relying on recorded figures. Enable “with expected quantity” for a manager's review.

Why can't an employee see “Expected” while counting?#

This is blind counting: expected quantities and discrepancies are visible to whoever may post the count. Turn it off with “Blind stocktake”, the same setting as on the phone.

Can I undo a posted stocktake?#

Yes — with “↩ Reverse” on its adjustment document in “Documents”, unless the same items were counted later.

How do I make the weekly bar count automatic?#

Save the scope as a “Weekly: bar” template and add a “Weekly → Mon → 08:00” schedule on the “Schedule” tab.

Can I print partway through a count?#

Yes. Entered quantities are printed, while uncounted lines stay blank. Continue using the same count.

Related articles#

• Inventory: stock and alerts
• Stock documents
• Phone as a warehouse scanner
• Recipes and costs
• Staff and roles
• Multiple locations
• Roles, permissions and till restrictions
• Supplier orders